The Wiener Factory, today and tomorrow
Last chance to get those dogs with the cheddar cheese and spicy mustard, or the new york red onions, or the red cabbage or sauerkraut. along with some surprisingly good knishes.
Oh, and that snap, great stufff. Has anyone been? Any new words on a relocation? or extension?
Now that Rubin's Red Hots is also long gone where to go?????
kevin
Dec 30, 2007 02:12PM
We went last weekend, and it was very sad. We've been regulars for years. Drove by yesterday afternoon around 1:00 and the line was out the door and well on its way to the liquor store. The last day was scheduled to be New Year's Eve. Hopefully they can relocate.
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Try The Stand in Encino.
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I went for the first time a week ago after living not 5 minutes away for the last 20 years. A great chili dog that I wish I had found sooner. I missed so many opportunities to pay them a visit.
It'll be so strange with it being gone. For me the Wiener Factory has always been an iconic valley staple, so to see it replaced by a Pinkberry will be heartbreaking. I say we all get together and throw hot dogs at the newly built Pinkberry. Down with the berry!
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Kevin - The Short Stop market on Woodman between Moorpark and Ventura has a hot dog place that is quite good, and features Vienna Beef products including their buns. Never been disappointed there. All different kinds of dogs available, polish or regular, plus combinations of condiments strictly up to your imagination and tastebuds.
Best of all, within walking distance for me!
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did it just open? never heard of it mentioned before. does sound good though. oh, wait a second I hope it's not QT Chicago Dogs, which is kind of attached to a convenience market? please tell me i'm wrong.
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You're not wrong. But I like Qt Chicago Dogs. I believe there's also one on Reseda near Parthenia and one on Victory near Tampa. Good dogs, but the Weiner Factory will be missed.
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I tried to stop by Wiener Factory today a little before 5pm, and there was a line out the door, three deep. Most likely the factory was a madhouse inside. Interesting, that once a joint actually announces it's closing people flock to it en masse, but otherwise they just take it for granted.
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Hot dogs will do that!
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Definitely is QT dogs. Very good product and always made to order.
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I was there yesterday around 2PM. I waited in line for my CCO and watched people taking pictures of everything.
One man wondered outloud if he could buy any of the art on the walls.
They all had bandages below one eye. :(
I work a couple blocks down on Ventura.
I'll really miss the guys and wish them the best.
I'll go to QT Dog now when I want one, but it's just not the same.
It's more than just about the dog.
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Yes, Wiener Factory has a certain warmness to it, and it's not necessarily the sayings and slogans on the wall. On the otherhand, QT's is way too antiseptic, boring, and sterile and doesn't really feel like a place to linger.
Also, the sausages (other than the Sabrett's dogs) at Wiener Factory along with the knishes and potato salad and red cabbage are all made exclusively for them. The knishes are supposedly made by an old lady in the valley.
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All bland compared to Weenez, downtown, 500 South Spring Street.
http://www.weenez.com
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Yes, I went today for my last dog...very sad, indeed. I'm going to miss their turkey dogs, really the only place I know of to get such a dog as most are beef and/or pork. Does anyone know of another place that has turkey dogs? WF's "toms" are very tasty, with a slight kick. I ordered the same every time...2 toms, French (mustard type, vs. spicy/brown) C (chili) O (onion..breath killer).
I'll miss the clever sayings handwritten on the walls.
But most of all, I'll miss the lovely couple who owned WF, Kevin and Sher and all the love they gave their customers over the years. They're going to take a well deserved rest, and maybe WF will reincarnate itself in a different location, maybe not, but Kev and Sher are done working the counters. Take a break, you two!
Thanks Kevin and Sher for so many great years of friendship and wonderful dogs (the quality was always excellent...you never got a bad dog there!).
All for another fricken Stinkberry yogurt place (where ARE the cars going to park?? probably a 12 story deep underground parking garage)......grrrrrr...another "mom and pop" bites the dust!
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yeah, i was a fan of their turkey dogs too. because the sabrett's you could get anywhere, but not the turkey ones.
also, going back a few years ago they used to serve some great spicey chicken sausages.
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oh, man...what a crime, especially to make way for a trendy yogurt joint that will no doubt be closed before it's two years old. is there no way that the people's voice will ever be heard when stuff like this happens? I doubt you could scrape together two proponents for yet another Pinkberry's, whereas the lines out the door of WF speak for themselves.
Kevin used to surprise me with the occasional bonus dog (2 dogs/one bun) every once in a while, which was so sweet. (my bathroom scales, of course, didn't agree, but were easily overruled in the face of such uncommon generosity.)
at least when they closed the BUR Wiener Factory, we got a Poquito Mas out of it. this, on the other hand, just stinks. I'm keeping a rock handy in my car to heave at the Pinkberry windows when the place goes up. (just kidding, Pinkberry lawyers.)
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yes. it is a sad day. wf was arguably the best dog stand in l.a.. far better than the stand. although it's a totally different story, jeff's gourmet sausages (kosher!) on pico are outstanding. other than the buns being doughy (depending on what you get), the dogs and sausages are great! hopefully, spring will bring word of a reisen from the dead wf.
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Ever have a bittersweet CCO (chili, cheese and onions)?
I just poished off two of my 40-year favorites!
I was one of the last customers to wish Kevin and Sher all the best!
The last dog was dressed shortly after 5:00 PM.
Sher was non-committal about a new location.
Kevin was standing over the steaming dogs, as usual, piling the chili, the mound of shredded cheese and sweet white onions. .
The line was into the parking lot. People had cameras to record the sad end to 2007. People were writing farewell notes on the outside walls.
I told Kevin and Sher what a Chowhounder suggested that we all toss hot dogs at the windows of the new Stinkberry when it opens. They both had pained laughs.
Goodbye to another piece of the LA that we natives grew up with.
Please come back somewhere in 2008.
Sabretts forever!
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I laughed and cried when I read this post...bittersweet, you got that right. Lucky you, being one of the last ones to with K&S well, and the last ones to enjoy the best dogs around. Another good one bites the dust.
The suggestion to toss hot dogs at the windows of Stinkberry...LOL...let's do it!
RIP, WF...I miss my Tom, French, C, O already!
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I agree the dogs at Jeff's are delicious - being kosher no cheese though
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